— 


PAM.  6 , 

AFRICA  - 


> 


p  H ei ! ;  A 


K* 


OUR 

MADAGASCAR 

MISSION 


A  WORD  TO  THE 
YOUNG  PEOPLE 

OF  THE  LUTHERAN 
FREE  CHURCH  FROM 
THE  LUTHERAN 
BOARD  OF  MISSIONS 


By  ANDREAS  HELLAND 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/ourmadagascarmisOOhell 


PROFESSOR  GEORG  SVERDRUP. 
Late  Secretary  of  I*.  IS .  M. 


ODttr  fRafragaarar  Mmsxm 


A  Unrll  to  tljo  loung  ifrojih? 

of  ®Ijp  iEulIjpratt  Jffrpf  QXIyurrit  from 
ttyr  Sartbrrau  Hoard  of  iWtaaions 


Ba 

Andreas  ItfUattfo 


Press  of 

The  Free  Church  Book  Concern 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

1908 


3Gu%ratt  Hoar&  of  iUiaatotta 

(Jfrikirkfna  febtringrimaaion) 
l^omp  (@ffire 

Augsburg  Seminary,  iHiunrapults,  IHinn.,  11.  B.  A. 

©ffinal  publication :  “  (g  a  a  a  t  r  e  n  “ 

ffiru.  IE.  IE.  (Bgtttli),  |lrea..  Sim.  Jolyan  fHattaon,  Oirp-JIrca.. 

lltUmar,  JHimt.  Seattle  ffiiakr,  UUmt. 

iJrof.  Attbrcaa  SjeUanii,  §>rr'g  Prof-  -3-  Ij.  lUagm,  QIrraa. 

Augaburg  &minarg,  iWinncagolxa,  UJittn. 


QDur  ilaiiafjaarar  lUtaston 


If  the  question  should  be  put  to  me:  Who  is  the 
father  of  the  foreign  mission  activity  of  the  Nor¬ 
wegian  Lutheran  church  in  America,  I  should  un¬ 
hesitatingly  answer :  The  late  Professor  Georg  Sver¬ 
drup  of  Augsburg  Seminary.  It  is  readily  admitted 
that  there  have  been  others  who  have  manifested  a 
warm  interest  in  the  cause  of  missions,  but  as  far 
as  initiative  and  active  and  persistent  work  are  con¬ 
cerned  he  stands  easily  first. 

The  Norwegian  Mission  Society  had  been  organ¬ 
ized  in  Stavanger,  Norway,  as  early  as  1842,  and 
active  work  was  commenced  in  Zulu,  South  Africa, 
in  1844,  and  in  the  great  island  of  Madagascar  in 
1866.  A  warm  interest  for  these  missions  had  been 
awakened  from  the  beginning,  and  many  of  the 
immigrants  who  came  to  this  country  during  the 
third  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  brought 
with  them  the  love  for  the  cause  and  proved  their 
love  by  sending  their  contributions  to  the  Norwegian 
Mission  Society.  But  this  was  as  far  as  they 
seemed  to  have  faith  to  go,  and  many,  no  doubt, 
were  they  whose  love  became  cold  and  inactive. 


l^iaturiral 


SJnterrst  far 
Missions  an 
.llnljmtanre 
from  Norway 


(S)ur  HJabagaarar  iWtaatmt 


Ifirst  $Ira 
fnr  Arliup 
Work 


It  was  then  that  Professor  Sverdrup  commenced 
to  advocate  the  sending  out  of  missionaries  from 
among  our  own  midst.  His  words  in  the  May 
issue,  1880,  of  Lutheraneren,  the  official  publication 
of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Conference,  were  as 
follows : 


“There  is  at  the  present  time  one  thing  about  which 
Christian  men  agree,  namely,  that  it  belongs  to  the 
Christian  calling  to  take  part  in  the  foreign  mission 
work.  We  all  know  this,  hut,  alas!  how  few  are  they 
who  have  the  strong  love,  the  faithful  obedience  which 
will  go  when  the  Lord  says,  Go,  and  come,  when  he 
says,  Come.  If  God  has  given  us  eternal  salvation  by 
grace  alone,  should  it  then  be  impossible  for  someone 
among  us  to  arise  and  leave  all  things  and  go  forth  to 
become  a  fisher  of  men?  So  far  the  Conference  has  tak¬ 
en  part  in  missionary  activity  only  by  sending  financial 
aid  to  the  Norwegian  Mission  Society.  It  has  no  doubt 
been  impossible  under  our  difficult  circumstances  as 
pioneers  to  accomplish  any  more  so  far.  But  not  only 
have  our  contributions  been  small,  but  it  looks  as  though 
they  have  not  been  increasing  as  the  years  have  gone 
by.  In  fact,  the  missionary  interest  seems  to  be  weaker 
than  before.  Brethren,  it  ought  not  to  be  thus.  It  is 
necessary  for  the  spiritual  life  to  pray  and  work  for  the 
spreading  of  the  gospel  over  the  entire  world.  The  next 
forward  step  which  we  can  and  ought  to  take  is  to  com¬ 
mence  to  pray  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  send 
forth  laborers  to  the  mission  fields  even  from  our  So¬ 
ciety,  and  to  seek  after  such  laborers.  If  the  missionary 
interest  is  to  be  furthered  and  strengthened  amongst 
us,  then  let  us  try  to  send  out  our  own  missionaries.” 


6 


(0ur  Mahagasrar  Hisatmt 


As. far  as  I  know,  this  was  the  first  public  plea 
for  independent  missionary  activity  among  our  peo¬ 
ple.  It  was,  however,  not  Professor  Sverdrup’s 
idea  that  the  connection  with  the  Society  in  Norway 
should  be  severed;  he  only  wished  to  see  men,  not 
merely  money,  sent  to  the  mission  field. 

It  took  seven  years  before  his  ideal  was  realized. 
In  the  spring  of  1887  John  P.  Hogstad  graduated 
from  the  theological  department  of  Augsburg  Sem¬ 
inary,  ready  and  eager  to  go  to  the  mission  field  in 
Madagascar.  On  this  occasion  Professor  Sverdrup 
reported  as  follows  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Conference : 

“If  it  be  God’s  will,  this  year  will  mark  the  beginning 
of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  our  school,  as  the  first 
missionary  to  the  heathens  is  graduated.  May  the  Lord 
grant  that  it  shall  not  be  the  last!” 

This  wish  has  been  fulfilled,  and  shall  by  the 
grace  of  God  be  even  more  gloriously  fulfilled  in 
the  future.  Even  as  early  as  in  1885  a  missionary 
society  had,  on  the  initiative  of  Professor  Sverdrup, 
been  organized  among  the  students  of  Augsburg 
Seminary,  and  this  society,  which  still  liv-?s,  has 
been  no  small  factor  in  kindling  missionary  interest 
among  the  students,  and  through  them  in  the  con¬ 
gregations.  The  next  one  to  give  himself  as  a 
7 


Sl|r 

3Uret 

iMrsBrngprs 


A  iSifisimt 
Jffielii  of 
©itr  ©am 


j 

(0m*  iHaJiugasrar  Uliaatmt 

sacrifice  to  the  mission  cause  was  Erik  H.  Ton , 
graduated  in  1889.  Both  Hogstad  and  Tou  were 
ordained  by  the  Conference,  and  sent  out  to  Mada¬ 
gascar  as  its  messengers  in  the  service  of  the  Nor¬ 
wegian  Mission  Society. 

The  next  logical  step  was  to  secure  a  mission 
field  of  our  own.  For  this  also  Professor  Sver¬ 
drup  was  an  ardent  worker  and  advocate.  But  he 
wished  above  all  that  those  interested  should  feel 
the  great  responsibility  connected  with  such  a  step. 
When,  therefore,  in  the  spring  of  1892  the  nego¬ 
tiations  with  the  Norwegian  Society  were  so  far 
advanced  that  the  outlook  seemed  bright  for  a  sat¬ 
isfactory  conclusion  thereof,  he  thus  expressed  his 
hopes  as  well  as  his  fears: 

“The  Lord  has  given  us  the  light  of  his  gospel;  a 
gospel  purely  preached  and  sacraments  rightly  admin¬ 
istered  have  been  granted  to  us.  They  are  the  precious 
gifts  of  the  Lord  to  his  church.  But  has  the  church 
also  the  men  and  means  to  take  the  light  in  hand  and 
bring  it  out  to  the  dark  regions  where  heathen  nations 
live  who  never  yet  have  seen  one  ray  of  the  light  from 
on  high?  It  is  a  serious  task  to  enter  upon,  and  it  is 
necessary  for  both  men  and  women  to  once  more  lift  up 
praying  hands  and  hearts  to  the  Lord,  that  he  give  us 
the  adequate  means  and  strength,  so  that  we  may  not 
take  upon  ourselves  a  heavier  burden  than  we  can  car¬ 
ry.  Terrible  indeed  would  be  our  responsibility  if  we 
should  receive  and  accept  a  mission  field  of  our  own 

8 


Church  and  Congregation  at  Manasoa-Tanosy. 


(Lhtr  Madagascar  Mission 


and  afterwards  prove  unable  to  take  care  of  it.  We 
should  then  have  shut  out  others,  and  not  ourselves 
have  done  what  was  necessary.” 

In  the  summer  of  1892  the  matter  was  settled, 
the  United  Norzvegian  Lutheran  Church  of  Ameri¬ 
ca,  the  successor  to  the  Conference  and  other  Nor¬ 
wegian  Lutheran  church  bodies,  being  granted  as 
its  mission  field  certain  provinces  in  the  southern 
part  of  Madagascar.  The  missionaries  Hogstad 
and  Tou,  having  already  been  stationed  in  this  part 
of  the  island,  now  became  directly  connected  with 
the  church  out  of  whose  midst  they  had  gone  as 
the  messengers  of  light  and  life  to  a  benighted  race. 
I  shall  once  more  quote  Professor  Sverdrup.  When 
the  news  had  been  received  that  a  mission  field  had 
been  set  apart  for  the  Norzvegian- American  Luther¬ 
ans,  he  wrote  in  part  as  follows : 

“This  news  will  no  doubt  bring  to  our  congregations 
much  joy  and  thanksgiving  to  God,  for  they  have  long 
felt  that  a  more  independent  and  direct  missionary  ac¬ 
tivity  was  needed  than  we  have  hitherto  been  engaged 
in.  The  news  will  also  bring  a  beneficial  sense  of  re¬ 
sponsibility.  God  has  now  brought  these  heathens  near 
to  the  hearts  of  our  congregations,  so  that  we  may  feel 
that  we  are  expected  to  bring  them  the  gospel  of 
Christ.” 

However,  dark  clouds  soon  overshadowed  the 
joy.  The  serious  differences  in  the  United  Nor- 
9 


parting 
nf  Uaga 


(0ur  fHahagaarar  fUtBsimt 


(fihtr  3url& 


Eljp  @>akalatm 


wegian  Lutheran  Church  resulted  in  a  parting  of 
ways  even  in  the  work  for  foreign  missions.  But 
it  is  not  the  aim  of  this  little  pamphlet  to  discuss 
those  matters.  It  is  sufficient  to  state,  that  the 
field  set  apart  for  the  Norwegian-American  Luther¬ 
ans  has  by  development  as  well  as  by  friendly  ar¬ 
rangement  been  subdivided,  so  that  at  the  present 
time  missionary  work  is  carried  on  in  the  south¬ 
eastern  part  of  Madagascar  by  The  United  Church, 
and  in  the  south-western  part  by  The  Lutheran 
Free  Church. 

This  then  is  our  field,  and  a  few  words  as  to 
its  people  may  perhaps  be  of  interest  at  this  point. 
It  is  inhabited  mainly  by  four  tribes,  namely :  the 
Sakai ava,  the  Bara ,  the  Tanosy,  and  the  Mahafaly. 
These  tribes  are  again  subdivided,  as  also  other 
tribes  live  within  the  confines  of  this  mission  field. 

Near  the  southern  border  of  Sakalavaland  is 
situated  the  mission  station  Bethesda  in  the  village 
of  St.  Augustin.  Having  their  home  near  the 
coast,  the  Sakalava  have  for  centuries  been  in  touch 
with  European  civilization.  But  what  they  have 
seen  of  it  has  not  tended  to  elevate  them  and  to 
give  them  a  high  moral  ideal,  not  to  speak  of  lead¬ 
ing  them  to  Christ.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  made 

10 


(@ur  Mahagasrar  Mission 


missionary  work  among  them  all  the  more  diffi¬ 
cult.  This  is,  however,  only  one  instance  of  the 
many  which  prove,  that  not  European  or  American 
civilization  but  the  gospel  of  Christ  alone  is  able  to 
disperse  the  darkness  of  sin  and  superstition.  The 
progress  of  the  gospel  has  been  very  slow,  and 
even  among  these  people  the  words  of  St.  Paul  have 
proved  to  hold  good  that  “not  many  wise  after  the 
flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called" 
(I  Cor.  i :  26),  as  it  has  been  stated,  that  “most  of 
those  who  are  won  for  Christ  on  the  Sakalava  coast, 
are  the  so-called  Makoa,  that  is,  African  negroes 
who  are  the  slaves  and  servants  of  the  Sakalava”. 
(Toil).  It  should  of  course  be  clearly  understood 
that  while  the  Sakalava  tribe  is  one  of  the  largest, 
if  not  the  very  largest  in  Madagascar,  our  field 
contains  only  a  very  small  part  of  it.  The  same 
Sara  is  true  also  about  the  great  tribe  of  the  Bara;  our 
field  includes  only  the  southernmost  part  of  it.  The 
Bara  have  been  constantly  engaged  in  war  among 
themselves  and  in  murderous  attacks  upon  their 
neighbors.  Like  the  Sakalava  they  are  very  slow 
to  receive  the  gospel  of  salvation.  Nevertheless 
the  work  has  not  been  without  results. 

The  Tanosy,  who  live  about  three  or  four  days’ 

12 


©tjr  ulaitosy 


©nr  Mahaijasrar  Mission 


journey  inland  from  the  Sakalava  coast,  are  believed 
to  have  originally  come  from  Arabia.  They  are  a 
very  religious  people  in  their  way,  taking  great 
pains  with  their  ceremonies,  and  are  consequently 
very  superstitious.  Perhaps  their  greatest  curse  is 
their  belief  in  “evil  days”.  If  a  child  is  born  on  a 
Wednesday,  for  instance,  it  is  claimed  that  it  will 
become  a  curse,  not  so  much  to  itself  as  to  its  home 
surroundings  and  relatives.  To  avoid  this,  the  child 
is  buried  alive.  This  is  not  done  merely  so  as  to  get 
rid  of  it,  but  principally  as  a  supposed  sacrifice  to 
the  wrathful  gods.  The  Umbiasa,  or  priest,  is  the 
all-powerful  mediator  between  the  people  and  the 
gods.  For  him  they  send  when  anything  seems  to 
be  wrong,  and  for  good  pay  he  is  supposed  to  be 
able  to  secure  the  divine  grace  and  avert  any  mis¬ 
fortune.  And  if  expectations  are  not  fulfilled,  he 
is  always  able  to  convince  the  people  that  the  fault 
is  not  with  him  but  with  them.  The  only  way  out 
of  the  difficulty  is  to  give  the  Umbiasa  greater  pay 
and  let  him  try  again.  The  Tanosy  as  well  as  the 
other  tribes  have  a  great  number  of  “kings”  whose 
subjects  may  number  half  a  dozen,  or  several  hun¬ 
dreds  if  they  are  very  “great”,  and  whose  chief 
occupation  is  pillage  and  robbery.  Towards  the 
13 


(0ur  Mahagasrar  Utaainu 


Jflaljafaly 


white  people  the  Tanosy  are  comparatively  friendly 
and  peaceful,  however. 

The  Mahafaly  are  quite  different  in  this  respect. 
They  not  only  make  war  among  themselves,  but 
they  most  bitterly  hate  all  foreigners,  especially  the 
Hovas  and  the  whites.  The  Hovas  are  a  tribe  in 
the  interior,  and  claimed  to  be  the  rulers  of  the 
entire  island  before  it  became  a  French  colony, 
though  many  of  the  tribes  refused  to  obey  their 
rule  and  pay  the  taxes  demanded.  The  Mahafaly 
live  to  the  south  of  the  Tanosy,  their  territory  be¬ 
ing  divided  by  the  Onilahy  river.  They  are  an  ex¬ 
tremely  wild  and  warlike  race,  and  time  and  again 
they  sought  the  life  of  the  first  missionaries  in  this 
part  of  the  island.  For  many  years  our  messengers 
tried  to  open  their  land  to  the  light  of  the  gospel, 
but  were  most  emphatically  denied  admission.  But 
the  missionaries  in  the  field  as  well  as  those  most 
interested  in  the  cause  at  home  did  not  cease  to 
pray,  and  their  prayers  were  at  last  fulfilled.  It 
is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  read  what  the 
secretary  of  The  Lutheran  Board  of  Missions  re¬ 
ported  to  the  annual  meeting  of  The  Lutheran  Free 
Church  in  1899: 

‘‘That  new  tnoughts  ancl  yearnings  have  entered  the 

14 


©ur  iflafcagaarar  Miaainn 


hearts  of  the  heathens  living  in  the  vicinity  of  our  sta¬ 
tions,  is  evident  also  from  the  changed  attitude  of  the 
Mahafaly  towards  the  mission  and  Christianity.  It  is 
no  doubt  a  well-known  fact  to  all  those  interested  in  our 
work,  that  this  wild  and  cruel  tribe,  on  the  13th  of  Jan¬ 
uary  this  year,  through  official  representatives  have  ap¬ 
proached  our  mission  with  a  request  for  missionaries. 
Nine  years  ago  they  all  but  murdered  Reverend  Tou 
when,  in  1890,  he  came  near  their  borders  on  his  way 
to  the  Tanosy.  And  now — what  a  difference!  It  is  a 
result  of  the  work  done  and  shows  the  special  guidance 
of  the  Lord.  The  harvest  field  grows,  the  work  becomes 
greater.  The  Lord  has  given  us  an  open  door;  let  us 
enter!” 

It  fell  to  the  lot  of  Reverend  /.  B.  Jerstad  and 
wife  to  become  the  pioneer  missionaries  to  the  Ma¬ 
hafaly,  and  truly  their  work  has  not  been  in  vain. 
— In  the  main,  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  Mahafaly 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  other  tribes,  superstition 
and  cruelty  being  their  chief  characteristics.  But 
they  have  proved  to  be  at  least  just  as  susceptible 
to  the  influence  of  the  gospel  as  any  of  their  neigh¬ 
bors. 

Such  are  the  people  among  whom  The  Lutheran 
Free  Church  or,  as  then  called,  “The  Friends  of 
Augsburg ”  took  up  independent  and  active  work 
in  1895.  The  work  was  clearly  given  to  it  by  the 
Lord  through  a  series  of  circumstances  which  were 
not  all  pleasant,  but,  as  we  believe,  nevertheless  for 
16 


(CUmattr 
aitb  ODtljrr 
(flmtbttimts 


®ur  Mahagasrar  iHissimt 


Orpljmtage 

Work 


the  best.  And  among  these  people  our  missionaries 
have  been  called  to  preach  and  to  live  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  Among  the  Sakalava  the  work  had  been 
commenced  a  few  years  before,  among  the  Bara, 
the  Tanosy,  and  the  Mahafaly  these  missionaries 
have  been  pioneers  as  far  as  our  field  is  concerned. 
On  the  whole,  this  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  hardest 
and  most  dangerous  mission  fields  in  the  world. 
Add  to  this,  that  the  climate  of  this  part  of  Mada¬ 
gascar  is  very  unhealthful  and  subject  to  malarial 
fevers,  and  you  will  get  a  glimpse  of  the  difficulties 
to  be  met  and  dealt  with.  But  even  these  degraded 
and  superstitious  tribes,  living  as  they  do  under  a 
very  dangerous  climate,  have  been  bought  with  a 
price,  even  with  the  blood  of  Christ,  our  crucified 
and  yet  ever  living  Savior.  And  so  the  missionaries 
have  gone  forth,  many  to  lay  down  their  life  in  the 
battle,  some  to  return  home  broken  in  health,  and 
a  few  still  standing  on  the  battle  line,  waiting  for 
others  to  come  and  join  in  the  work  of  the  Lord 
in  Madagascar. 

One  of  the  most  cruel  rites  of  some  of  these 
tribes,  and  one  which  our  missionaries  had  to  work 
against  from  the  start,  was,  as  stated  above,  the 
burying  alive  of  all  children  born  on  “evil  days”. 

16 


Mission  Station  at  St.  Augustin. 


Church  and  Congregation  at  St.  Augustin. 


QDur  JHafcagaarar  iflltSHimi 


We  must  remember  that  this  was  done,  not  simply 
from  lack  of  love  for  these  children,  but  for  fear 
of  the  consequences  if  they  should  be  permitted  to 
live.  The  parents  did  not  dare  to  do  otherwise. 
If  the  white  men  dared  to  take  them  in,  that  would 
have  to  be  their  business,  and  when  death  or  mis¬ 
fortune  befell  our  missionaries,  the  natives  were  not 
slow  in  drawing  the  conclusion  that  it  was  the 
avenging  hand  of  the  gods  upon  men  who  dared  to 
meddle  with  ancient  and  sacred  customs.  But  for 
the  missionaries  there  seemed  to  be  only  one  thing 
to  do ;  they  must  take  pity  on  these  most  unfortunate 
children  and  take  them  in  and  give  them  food  and 
shelter.  Many  were  so  far  gone  from  exposure  and 
other  causes  that  their  lives  could  no  longer  be 
saved ;  but  others  would  live,  and  what  then  ?  It 
became  evident  that  a  children’s  rescue  home  must 
be  started.  At  first  this  was  a  private  matter  con¬ 
ducted  by  the  individual  missionaries,  and  until  this 
day  several  of  them  have  conducted  such  homes  on 
a  small  scale.  This  is,  however,  for  many  reasons 
not  a  satisfactory  arrangement,  though  it  may  often 
be  the  only  one  possible.  For  this  reason  the  chil¬ 
dren’s  home  at  Manasoa-Tanosy  was  made  a  direct 
branch  of  the  missionary  work  of  the  home  church, 
17 


(0m*  iflaiutgaarar  ifliaaimt 


(@ur  Iffnrrr 


receiving  a  stated  amount  annually  for  its  support 
and  maintenance.  This  home  has  been  conducted 
by  sisters  from  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess' 
Home  in  Minneapolis.  As  the  French  colonial  gov¬ 
ernment  has  by  law  prohibited  the  cruel  custom  of 
burying  children  alive,  this  rescue  home  at  Mana- 
soa-Tanosy  has  now  for  years  been  conducted  as  a 
girls’  home,  where  such  girls  have  found  shelter 
and  received  an  education,  whose  circumstances  and 
surroundings  were  such  as  to  call  for  special  aid. 

Of  the  pioneers  Reverend  Hogstad  at  the  pres¬ 
ent  time  works  as  a  missionary  in  the  service  of 
the  United  Norw.  Luth.  Church,  on  the  east  side  of 
southern  Madagascar,  where  he  has  always  been 
located,  Reverend  Tou  has  returned  to  America  and 
is  at  present  serving  several  congregations  in  South 
Dakota  as  their  pastor.  The  following  missionaries 
have  been  sent  out  since  1895 : 

1896.  Reverend  J.  B.  H0igaard,  worked  among  the  Tan- 
osy,  until  in  the  fall  of  IS'00  he  had  to  return 
home  on  account  of  broken  health.  He  is  at  pres¬ 
ent  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  Norway. 

1896.  Sister  Pernille  Pederson,  took  up  the  work  as  mat¬ 
ron  of  the  girls’  home  at  Manasoa-Tanosy,  where 
she  died  on  January  31st,  1898. 

1898.  Reverend  J.  B.  Jerstad  and  wife,  worked  among 
the  Tanosy  and  Bara  until  the  year  1900,  when 

18 


(@ur  Utabagaarar  iflttasum 


they  became  the  first  missionaries  to  the  Maha- 
faly.  Came  home  on  a  vacation  in  1907  and  ex¬ 
pect  to  return  next  spring  to  resume  the  work. 

1898.  Sister  Caroline  Olson,  took  up  the  work  after  Sr. 
Pernille  Pederson  and  died  at  her  post  on  June 
30th,  1900. 

1898.  Miss  Julia  Larson  went  out  as  Rev.  H0ygaard’s 
betrothed.  They  were  married  on  the  31st  of  July 
the  same  year,  but  she  died  on  January  12th,  1900. 

1899.  Cand.  theol.  N.  A.  Hatlem  went  out  to  become  a 
professor  in  the  seminary  for  native  pastors  and 
teachers,  but  had  just  been  able  to  commence  this 
work  when  he  died  on  August  10th,  1900. 

1899.  Cand.  theol.  J.  O.  Dyrnes,  M.  D.  went  to  France 
to  study  the  French  language  and  to  become  ac¬ 
quainted  with  medical  science  in  France;  was  or¬ 
dained  to  the  ministry  by  Reverend  Buchsen- 
schiitz  in  Paris;  went  to  Madagascar  in  1900  where 
he  has  since  worked  as  medical  missionary  and 
pastor  at  Manasoa-Tanosy.  He  has  at  the  pres¬ 
ent  time  the  superintendence  of  the  entire  field. 

1899.  Sister  Milla  Larson  went  to  France  to  study  the 
language,  and  in  1900  to  Madagascar  to  assist  Dr. 
Dyrnes  in  the  medical  work  of  the  mission,  and 
died  in  May,  1S’02. 

1899.  Reverend  Ludvig  Pederson  and  wife  went  out  to 
work  in  connection  with  Rev.  Hogstad,  but  on  ac¬ 
count  of  ill  health  they  had  to  return  in  1902. 
Rev.  Pederson  is  now  serving  congregations  in 
North  Dakota. 

1899.  Reverend  Chr.  Jorgenson  and  wife  went  to  France 
to  study  the  language,  and  in  1900  to  Madagascar; 
but  as  Rev.  J0rgenson  was  entirely  unable  to 
stand  the  climate  they  had  to  return  home  in  1904. 


19 


(@ur  iHafcagaarar  iflisaimt 


Seaults 


He  is  at  present  serving  congregations  in  North 
Dakota. 

1900.  Reverend  E.  H.  Tou  and  family,  after  a  two  years’ 
vacation  in  America  returned  to  Madagascar, 
where  Mrs.  Elisabeth  Tou  died  on  the  18th  of 
February,  1901.  Rev.  Tou  returned  from  the 
field  in  1903,  and  is  at  present  serving  congrega¬ 
tions  in  South  Dakota,  as  mentioned  above. 

1900.  Sister  Alida  Olin  went  out  to  assist  in  the  medic¬ 
al  mission  work,  and  continued  in  this  work,  un¬ 
til  in  1903  she  was  married  to  Rev.  Tou,  with 
whom  she  returned  home  shortly  after. 

1902.  Mr.  P.  Wien,  after  two  years’  study  of  tropical 
farming  in  Louisiana,  Alabama  and  Mexico,  and 
after  a  stay  of  about  six  months  in  France  for  the 
sake  of  learning  the  language,  went  to  Madagas¬ 
car  to  start  an  industrial  and  farmer  mission,  but 
on  account  of  ill  health  he  had  to  return  already 
the  next  year. 

1902.  Sister  Caroline  Unhjem  and  Sister  Henriette  Nil- 
sen  went  out  to  work  in  the  girls’  home,  where 
they  are  yet  engaged  in  the  blessed  work. 

1902.  Reverend  H.  O.  Sageng  and  wife  went  to  France 
to  study  the  language,  and  in  the  spring  of  1904 
proceeded  to  Madagascar.  Mrs.  Sageng  died  af¬ 
ter  a  few  months’  residence  there,  on  the  8th  of 
November,  1904.  Rev.  Sageng  worked  at  St. 
Augustin  among  the  Sakalava,  until  he  returned 
home  in  January,  1S'08. 

1906.  Miss  Sarah  Johnson,  went  to  Madagascar  to  be¬ 
come  Rev.  Dr.  Dyrnes’  wife  and  was  married  to 
him  on  the  7th  of  June  the  same  year. 

But  what  are  the  results  of  these  years  of  mis¬ 
sionary  effort?  What  is  the  visible  fruit  of  the 


20 


(0ur  fUabagaarar  ilisstmt 


labors,  yea  of  the  lives  of  our  faithful  missionaries? 
I  am  not  able  to  give  statistics  for  last  year,  as  the 
letter  containing  them  has  gone  astray  and  dupli¬ 
cate  reports  have  not  yet  reached  us.  But  the  stat¬ 
istics  for  1906  will  give  an  approximate  idea  of 
those  for  1907  also,  and  are  therefore  given  below : 

During  the  year  1906  and  on  January  1st,  1907,  there 
were  3  principal  stations,  with  36  sub-stations;  5  organ¬ 
ized  congregations,  having  554  communicant  members 
and  350  children.  The  number  of  baptisms  during  the 
year  was  137 ;  number  of  communicants  during  the  year 
3209;  average  church  attendance  1638;  number  of  cate¬ 
chumens  76.  The  mission  schools  numbered  40,  total 
number  of  children  in  schools  1365,  average  attendance 
519.  Number  of  native  teachers,  evangelists  and  pa¬ 
stors  about  55.  It  may  be  added,  that  the  average  num¬ 
ber  of  children  cared  for  at  the  girls’  home  at  Manasoa- 
Tanosy  has  for  several  years  been  about  forty  or  forty- 
five. 

We  have  reason  indeed  to  praise  the  Lord  for 
his  blessings  upon  the  work,  for  it  is  because  of  his 
infinite  mercy,  that  it  has  prospered  as  well  as  it 
has.  We  should  of  course  also  remember,  that  a 
number  of  converts  have  during  these  years  died, 
and  as  we  hope,  inherited  the  kingdom  which  from 
eternity  was  prepared  for  them. 

The  last  years  have  been  trying  indeed,  both 
for  the  native  Christians,  the  missionaries,  and  the 
21 


utyr  grpBrnt 


(Dur  Hahatjaarar  Mission 


friends  and  supporters  of  the  mission  at  home.  For 
reasons  which  it  is  not  here  the  place  to  discuss  the 
French  colonial  government  has  in  many  ways 
hindered  evangelistic  work  all  over  the  island  of 
Madagascar.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  reasons 
and  motives  of  the  government,  to  the  cause  of 
Christian  missions  its  many  decrees  and  rulings  have 
been  extremely  detrimental.  Especially  has  the 
work  formerly  done  by  the  native  Christians  them¬ 
selves  suffered.  Many,  of  course,  have  during  these 
trying  years  decided  that  “it  is  not  necessary  to  be 
praying  ones  any  more”,  and  have  gone  back  to  a 
life  in  sin  and  darkness.  But  on  second  thought  it 
will  easily  be  understood  that  this  is  not  an  alto¬ 
gether  unmixed  misfortune,  as  these  trials  have 
served  as  a  necessary  test  and  purification  of  the 
native  churches; and  to  the  praise  of  the  Lord  it  may 
be  said  that  in  many  it  has  tended  to  strengthen  and 
develop  their  Christian  life.  In  the  meantime  not 
a  few  have  asked  to  be  instructed  in  the  way  of 
salvation,  and  some  have  been  baptized  even  this 
year,  so  that  in  some  respects  at  least  we  know  that 
the  statistics  will  show  a  fair  increase,  while  in 
others  it  may  show  a  decrease.  By  the  action  of 
the  colonial  government  the  native  teacher  seems  to 

22 


(@ur  Ma&agaarar  iHissimi 


have  become  practically  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  so 
much  the  more  will  the  native  evangelist  be  needed 
in  the  future. 

But  not  only  has  the  native  force  become  smal¬ 
ler  by  these  circumstances,  the  number  of  our  own 
missionaries  is  also  very  small  at  the  present  time. 
Rev.  Dr.  Dyrnes  has  charge  of  all  the  principal  sta¬ 
tions,  aided  however  by  native  pastors,  evangelists 
and  teachers.  This  makes  the  situation  an  anxious 
one,  and  our  responsibility  so  much  greater. 

It  was  in  view  of  these  conditions  that  the  pres¬ 
ent  secretary  reported  to  the  last  annual  meeting  of 
the  Lutheran  Free  Church,  in  part  as  follows: 

“It  will  be  easily  understood  that  our  mission  in 
Madagascar  is  in  a  condition  which  gives  cause  for  anx¬ 
iety  in  more  than  one  respect,  and  that  the  greatest  dif¬ 
ficulty  just  now  lies  in  the  small  number  of  workers. 
L.  B.  M.  has  therefore  also  had  this  matter  under  con¬ 
sideration,  without  being  able,  however,  to  accomplish 
as  much  as  might  be  desired.  In  the  first  place,  a  man 
is  needed  for  St.  Augustin,  and  if  possible  that  man 
should  be  an  experienced  missionary.  Another  man  is 
needed  for  the  Mahafaly  mission.  Besides  this  the  time 
is  now  drawing  near  when  both  Dr.  Dyrnes  and  the  two 
deaconesses  have  a  right — according  to  the  rules  of  our 
Society — to  ask  to  be  relieved  in  order  to  return  home 
for  necessary  rest  and  recuperation.  To  us,  therefore, 
the  exhortation:  “Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  har¬ 
vest  that  he  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest”,  be- 

23 


uHje  Ncri) 
of  fSnrr 
ttorkrra 


($ur  Ha&agasrar  Mission 


Nrni  jForrra 
to  tip*  Jfrnnt 


liSisBtnnary 
3)ntrrrsl 
at  ffinntp 


comes  something  quite  different  and  more  than  merely 
a  pious  phrase;  it  becomes  a  cry  in  our  need  unto  God, 
that  he  will  show  that  he  has  not  left  us,  nor  ceased  to 
look  in  mercy  to  our  efforts!” 

As  stated  above,  steps  had  already  been  taken 
before  the  annual  meeting  to  relieve  the  situation, 
and  we  are  glad  to  be  able  to  announce,  that  the 
efforts  have  not  been  in  vain.  Sister  Tillie  Thorson 
of  the  Deaconess  Home  has  just  left  for  France 
and  will  employ  the  next  five  or  six  months  in  the 
study  of  French,  having  already  commenced  this 
study  in  Minneapolis  several  months  ago.  Rever¬ 
end  and  Mrs.  Jerstad  will  leave  later,  and  they  will 
all  proceed  to  Madagascar  early  next  spring.  We 
hope,  furthermore,  that  others  will  be  ready  to  be 
sent  to  the  field  in  a  very  short  time. 

It  is  but  fair  to  say  that  there  has  been  a  marked 
increase  in  missionary  interest  also  in  the  home 
church  during  these  years.  Not  only  is  a  large 
amount  of  money  given  annually  to  the  Santhal,  the 
China  and  the  Jewish  missions, by  congregations  and 
individuals  in  the  Lutheran  Free  Church;  but  the 
contributions  to  the  work  which  may  be  said  to  be 
nearest  and  dearest  to  us,  the  Madagascar  mission, 
have  been  both  many  and  liberal.  I  think  a  few 
figures  will  prove  this. 


24 


M ission  Station  at  M anasoa-M ahafaly. 


Orphans’  Home  at  Manasoa-Tanosy. 


dhxr  maiiagaBrar  IftiBBtmt 


From  August  12th,  1893,  to  June  26th, 

1895,  the  contributions  amounted  to  739.24 

It  was  in  this  last  mentioned  year  that 
active  work  was  commenced,  and  the 
contributions  during  the  following  fis¬ 
cal  years  (from  June  to  June)  have 


been  as  follows: 

1895— 1896  . 2,246.98 

1896— 1897  .  3,312.10 

1897— 1898  .  5,208.79 

18S'8— 1899  .  7,994.91 

1899— 1900  .  10,462.60 

1900— 1901  .  7,892.13 

1901— 1902  .  12,345.23 

1902— 1903  .  9,914.09 

1903— 1904  .  9,965.69 

1904— 1905  .  12,489.30 

1905— 1906  .  12,435.05 

1906— 1907  .  12,439.06 

1907— 1908  .  12,025.77 


This  gives  a  total  of . $119,470.94 

or  with  the  contributions  already  re¬ 
ceived  during  the  present  fiscal  year, 
over  . $123,000.00 


During  the  years  1901,  1903  and  1904  loans  had  to  be 
made  in  order  to  meet  the  increased  expenses.  While 
some  progress  has  been  made  in  the  payment  of  this 
debt,  there  yet  remains  a  balance  of  $5,350.00.  It  was 
the  hope  of  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  Free  Church 
that  this  debt  would  be  paid  in  full  during  the  present 
fiscal  year.  With  the  large  traveling  expenses  for  the 
missionaries  to  be  sent  out  next  spring,  together  with 
the  regular  expenses,  it  will  require  some  hard  work  to 
reach  this  goal.  With  a  united  effort  it  ought  not  to  be 
impossible,  however. 

25 


t 


(@ur  HHabagaarar  iHiaaion 


But  more  valuable  than  money  is  the  growing 
sense  of  our  duty  as  well  as  of  our  privilege  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  heathen  mission.  The  many  well  at¬ 
tended  district  missionary  meetings  of  late  years  are 
but  one  of  the  proofs  of  this.  And  yet  there  is 
much  to  be  wished  and  hoped  and  worked  for  in 
this  direction. 

JHiaaimtarg  Missionary  work  is  a  very  serious  business  both 

Mark  a  for  ^  missi0naries  and  the  home  church,  and  a  last- 

&moua 

Indrrtakutg  ing  success  can  be  hoped  for  only  when  we  build  on 
a  solid  foundation.  To  many  unthinking  people 
there  is  something  very  romantic  about  mission  and 
missionary  work.  In  their  day-dreams  they  see 
“wild”,  naked  heathens  soon  dressed  as  Europeans 
or  Americans,  and  as  at  once  becoming  almost  if 
not  entirely  perfect  Christians ;  or,  what  appears  to 
be  equally  as  romantic,  they  dream  about  great  ad¬ 
ventures  for  the  missionary,  ending  perhaps  in 
martyrdom  at  the  hands  and  teeth  of  the  savages. 

But  missionary  work  is  in  most  instances  some¬ 
thing  entirely  different.  For  fourteen  long  years 
the  Norwegian  Mission  Society  worked  in  Zululand, 
before  the  first-fruit  was  reaped  in  the  baptism  of 
a  young  girl ;  but  now  the  converts  of  this  Society 
in  Zululand  and  Madagascar  number  over  125,000. 

26 


(Dur  ifflabagasrar  iHisHimt 


For  about  twelve  years  work  was  carried  on  in 
Uganda  by  English  missionaries,  one  after  the  other 
dying  of  fever,  and  hardly  any  one  willing  to  listen 
to  the  good  tidings.  There  was  indeed  very  little 
of  the  romantic  about  it.  And  yet  Uganda  is  today 
perhaps  the  most  remarkable  mission  field  in  the 
world  as  far  as  results  are  concerned.  No,  mis¬ 
sionary  work  is  serious  business.  To  the  home 
church  it  often  means  long  years  of  waiting  with 
many  a  disappointment  and  much  harsh  criticism 
by  those  whose  hearts  and  ears  are  closed  to  the 
cry  of  heathendom,  and  to  the  missionary  it  means 
the  daily  intercourse  with  people  who  do  not  appre¬ 
ciate  his  work  in  the  least  but  rather  resent  being 
disturbed  in  their  religious  beliefs  and  their  mode 
of  living  and  thinking.  And  day  by  day,  year  by 
year,  the  influence  of  heathenism  quietly  but  con¬ 
stantly  tends  to  undermine  his  own  spiritual  life, 
just  as  the  insidious  attacks  of  the  fever  does  his 
temporal.  He  is  in  constant  danger  of  losing  his 
spiritual  freshness,  and  only  by  the  most  ardent  in¬ 
tercourse  with  the  Lord  in  daily  prayer  and  conse¬ 
cration  can  he  be  saved  from  withering  and  becom¬ 
ing  a  spiritual  as  well  as  a  moral  wreck.  And  the 
heathens  themselves,  who  in  all  their  original  “wild- 
27 


GPur  iKahagaHrar  iMifiaimt 


(JlmtBlraimng 
^mnfr  of 
CChrtHl’B 
Unup 


ifliBBimt 

§>tuiiy 


ness”  once  stood  before  his  inner  eye  in  a  sort  of 
romantic  halo,  how  repugnant  becomes  even  the 
mere  sight  of  these  lazy,  dirty,  begging,  cheating 
people,  whose  only  ambition  seems  to  be  to  get  some 
glittering  trinkets  or  a  yard  or  two  of  figured  calico ! 

No,  missionary  work  is  not  romantic,  but  it  is 
necessary,  because  these  people  must  be  saved,  and 
it  is  God’s  will,  that  we  shall  bring  them  the  light 
of  the  gospel.  “The  love  of  Christ  constraineth 
us” — that  is  the  only  safe  foundation  to  build  up¬ 
on.  All  else  is  sand,  and  any  house  built  upon  it 
will  be  rudely  overturned  by  the  storm  which  arises 
when  we  come  to  see  heathenism  as  it  really  is. 
This,  then,  is  the  moving  force. 

We  should  go  to  the  work  with  open  eyes.  It 
is  a  fairly  good  reason  to  give  to  missions  because 
our  fathers  and  mothers  have  done  so  before  us ; 
but  it  is  by  no  means  the  only  reason,  nor  is  it  rea¬ 
son  enough.  We  should  study  the  problem  of 
Christian  missions,  their  foundation,  their  begin¬ 
nings,  their  progress,  and  their  present  needs.  And 
it  is  but  fair  that  we  should  especially  acquaint  our¬ 
selves  with  the  missionary  efforts  and  needs  of  our 
own  church.  They  may  seem  very  small  and  in¬ 
significant  in  comparison  with  those  of  others ;  but 

28 


(@ur  Ha&agaarar  HHiastmt 


it  is  the  place  which  God  gave  us,  and  all  he  asks 
of  us  is  that  we  be  faithful  in  these  little  things. 

It  was  with  regard  to  this  matter  the  secretary 
said  in  his  last  annual  report: 

“Before  I  close  this  report,  I  wish  to  add  a  few 
words  as  to  the  future  of  our  missionary  work.  It  is 
above  all  necessary  for  us  not  to  forget  that  it  depends 
in  a  very  large  degree  on  the  home  church,  whether  or 
not  the  work  shall  be  successful.  And  here  the  prob¬ 
lem  is  not  only  how  to  increase  missionary  interest  but 
also  how  to  preserve  and  renew  it.  We  should  interest 
our  young  people,  and  especially  our  young  men,  in  the 
cause  of  missions.  We  should  endeavor  to  show  them 
that  missionary  activity  is  the  most  manly  work  of  all, 
and  that  it  carries  with  itself  renewing  forces,  which 
make  it  eminently  a  work  for  young  people.  We  must 
avoid  the  misunderstanding  so  common  also  among  our 
own  nationality  that  missionary  activity  is  something 
that  does  not  concern  the  men.  We  must  also  keep  our 
eyes  open  to  the  fact  that  serious  and  thinking  people 
will  only  give  when  they  are  convinced  that  it  is  worth 
while  to  give.  If  they  are  only  satisfied  on  this  point, 
they  are  also  willing  to  make  a  sacrifice.  What  is 
needed,  therefore,  and  needed  greatly,  is  an  effective, 
organized  and  well  defined  effort  to  teach  the  young  peo¬ 
ple  concerning  missions,  their  results  and  the  demands 
upon  them  in  the  future.  It  will  be  worth  the  while  even 
for  this  annual  meeting  to  take  this  matter  under  care¬ 
ful  consideration,  so  much  more  as  on  this  point  there 
seems  to  be  a  possibility  of  a  co-operation,  which,  if  car¬ 
ried  on  in  faith  and  patience,  may  be  of  the  greatest  im¬ 
portance  for  the  future  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  in  this  country.” 

29 


(§ur  iKahagasrar  iiliHHimt 


The  annual  meeting  gave  its  endorsement  to  the 
thoughts  so  expressed  by  adopting  the  following 
resolution : 

“As  it  is  our  conviction  that  the  young  people  are  the 
hope  of  the  future,  therefore  the  annual  meeting  recom¬ 
mends  to  pastors  and  congregations  to  make  a  special 
effort  to  prevail  upon  the  young  men  and  women  to 
give  the  study  of  mission  work  among  the  heathens  a 
large  place  in  their  societies  and  otherwise.” 

Even  these  pages  are  a  first  vague  attempt  in 
this  direction,  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  it  will  not 
be  the  last. 

We  are  looking  cheerfully  and  hopefully  to  the 

QJijP  fHaalPr 

is  (Hailing  future.  The  outlook  is  for  more  workers  and  great¬ 
er  opportunities  in  distant  Madagascar,  and  more 
ardent  prayer  and  more  faithful,  self-sacrificing 
work  at  home.  We  hear  the  bugle  call  to  arms.  Let 
every  one  hasten  to  the  battle  of  the  Lord.  Certain¬ 
ly  there  is  no  more  serious  work,  no  work  more  apt 
to  test  the  lasting  qualities  of  our  Christian  faith, 
nor  is  there,  on  the  other  hand,  any  more  blessed  and 
inspiring  work  than  foreign  missions.  The  Master 
is  calling.  Let  us  go  forth  to  join  the  army  of  the 
Lord.  Let  us  crown  him  king  of  all ! 


30 


Amtmmomumts 


To  those  who  desire  to  know  more  about  the 
blessed  fruits  of  missionary  activity  in  the  island 
of  Madagascar,  I  would  recommend  the  following 
books :  /.  /.  Kilpin  Fletcher,  The  Sign  of  the  Cross 
in  Madagascar.  309  pp.,  with  many  illustrations. 
Price,  neatly  bound  in  cloth,  $1.00.  (Fleming  H. 
Revell,  New  York  and  Chicago).  This  book  tells 
in  a  very  fascinating  way  the  early  history  of 
Christianity  in  the  island,  with  its  many  sufferings 
and  persecutions.  While  being  a  story  rather  than 
history,  it  is  based  on  historical  facts  and  gives  a 
true  and  vivid  picture  of  the  times  and  persons 
which  it  describes. 

This  book  has  also  been  translated  into  Nor¬ 
wegian  under  the  title:  Korsmerket  paa  Madagas- 
kar..  Price,  neatly  bound  in  cloth,  $1.20.  ( Steen’ ske, 
Kristiania). 

Mention  should  also  be  made  of:  E.  H.  Tou, 
Den  lutherske  frikirkes  hedningemission.  62  pp. 
with  many  illustrations.  Price,  cloth  40c,  paper 
20c.  (The  Free  Church  Book  Concern,  Minne¬ 
apolis).  A  limited  number  of  copies  only  is  left  of 

this  booklet. 

31 


Souks  ott 

Hlaiagasrar 

Mission 


I 


Besides  these,  several  books  of  great  value  have 
been  written  in  the  Norwegian  language  and  pub¬ 
lished  by  the  N.  M.  S.,  on  subjects  relating  to 
Madagascar  and  the  Madagascar  mission. 

The  above  mentioned  books  may  be  had  through 
The  Free  Church  Book  Concern,  322  Cedar  Ave., 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

_ 

Gasseren,  a  periodical,  devoted  to  the  interests 

(gaaaemt 

of  foreign  missions  especially  in  the  island  of  Mada¬ 
gascar,  published  semi-monthly  by  The  Lutheran 
Board  of  Missions,  Minneapolis,  Minn.  Professor 
Andreas  Helland,  Editor,  Rev.  Johan  Mattson, 
Assistant  Editor ;  Professor  J.  H.  Blegen,  Manager. 
Subscription  price  50  cents  a  year  in  advance.  Ad¬ 
dress  :  Gasseren,  322  Cedar  Avenue,  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 


All  contributions  to  the  Madagascar  mission  of 

(Emttribu-  The  Lutheran  Free  Church  should  be  sent  to: 

itnna 

Professor  J.  H.  Blegen,  Treasurer,  Augsburg 

Seminary,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

32 


